Good Samaritan to stay on grass in Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf

ELMONT, N.Y. – At some point, Good Samaritan will get a chance to prove himself on dirt, but that time won’t be at this year’s Breeders’ Cup.

Good Samaritan, who is 2 for 2, with both victories coming on turf, will run in Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita and not in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on dirt, said Elliott Walden, president, chief executive, and racing manager for WinStar Farm, which owns Good Samaritan along with the China Horse Club.

Good Samaritan, trained by Bill Mott, had been pre-entered for the Juvenile, with first preference given to the dirt race.

"There will be plenty of opportunities to get him on the dirt," Walden said Saturday at Belmont Park, where he watched Theory work for the Juvenile. "If he is strictly turf, there aren't many opportunities to run in a Grade 1 as a 3-year-old before the Secretariat."

Actually, the Belmont Derby in early July is a Grade 1 race for 3-year-olds.

Good Samaritan is the 9-2 morning-line favorite for the Juvenile Turf, according to Daily Racing Form’s Brad Free.

A dirt horse who will try turf for the first time in the BC Juvenile Turf is Favorable Outcome, who won his debut on dirt and then finished third in the Grade 1 Champagne behind stablemate Practical Joke.

Trainer Chad Brown had an inkling that Favorable Outcome would like the turf, and Brown liked what he saw Saturday morning, when Favorable Outcome breezed five furlongs in 1:02.75 in company with fellow Juvenile Turf contender Ticonderoga. Favorable Outcome started just off the flank of Ticonderoga and to that one’s outside, and he finished a neck in front at the wire.

“I saw enough from Favorable Outcome for sure to go,” Brown said. “I thought he breezed well, and that was on yielding ground. I think he’ll act better on firm.”

Favorable Outcome is a son of Flatter out of the Eltish mare Shananies Song. Eltish was a stakes winner on turf in Europe and finished second in the 1994 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

Ticonderoga, second to Keep Quiet in the Grade 2 Bourbon at Keeneland on Oct. 9, when he was lugging in during the stretch run, has breezed twice now with a cage bit to help him keep straight down the lane.

“You don’t know till you run them, but I’m confident he’s accepted that bit well,” Brown said. “That may straighten him out down the lane.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher’s pair of Juvenile Turf candidates worked together over the Belmont turf course on Saturday. Made You Look, the Grade 2 With Anticipation winner, went four furlongs in company with J. S. Choice in 49.66 seconds.

Made You Look, under Javier Castellano, galloped out significantly stronger than his workmate.

“He seemed to do it well in hand, galloped out super, handled cut in the ground without any problem,” Pletcher said. “Thought it was a perfect kind of work.”

With the defection earlier in the week of Pleaseletmewin, J. S. Choice will now draw into the body of the Juvenile Turf.

Brown pair works for Juvenile Fillies Turf

New Money Honey most likely will run in the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf and not in the $2 million Juvenile Fillies on dirt, for which she also was pre-entered, trainer Chad Brown said Saturday.

New Money Honey, who won the Grade 3 Miss Grillo, worked five furlongs over the Belmont turf course Saturday in 1:02.15 in company with Rymska, the runner-up in the Miss Grillo who is also pointing to the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Rymksa, on the outside, was under a very firm hold. She will be making her first start for Brown in the Breeders’ Cup.

“I’m leaning toward running her on the turf,” Brown said.

Brown said Rymska seems to be improving daily since she came to his barn.

“Her works are improving. Physically, I think she’s improving. She’s a live longshot in that race,” Brown said.